Rule 12
by FallenAngel218
Summary: After inadvertantly breaking Rule 12, Tim and Abby decide to have a little fun with breaking the rules... as long as Gibbs doesn't find out. McAbby.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes: I love Tim and Abby, so I decided to write something with them as the main characters. I hope you like it! **

****Tim squinted as the sun shone through his bedroom window. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at his alarm clock. His eyes went wide when he saw that it was 0730. He was a half hour late, and Gibbs was going to kill him. He jumped out of bed and started rummaging around for something to wear. As he threw his closet doors open, he heard a distinctly female sound, coming from his bed. Holding a shirt and slacks, he turned around to identify the voice, and his face went ashen. Abby was asleep in his bed, and she wasn't wearing any pajamas.

Tim dressed quickly and frantically went over to Abby's side of the bed, shaking her awake.

"Abby! Get up!" Abby stirred and smiled at Tim when she opened her eyes.

"Hey there," she said in an almost sultry tone.

"Abby, I'm over a half hour late, and Gibbs is going to kill me if he finds out why!"

"Then don't tell him, silly," she said, reaching for her clothes to dress.

"You know I can't lie to Gibbs," he said, trying not to freak out. "How did this happen?" he said, starting to pace while Abby dressed.

"I think you know how, Tim…"

"That isn't funny."

Abby finished dressing and Tim bolted into the living room to get his badge and gun out of his desk drawer.

"Come on, Abby! I still have to take you to your car!"

Abby came out of the bedroom with her coat on.

"Will you relax? I'll ride in with you, and you can take me to get it later."

"Gibbs is going to kill me, then bring me back and kill me again," Tim said, in full panic mode.

"Gibbs will never know, Tim, because you're going to calm down and take me to work, and you're going to go about your day like nothing happened last night, okay?"

Tim took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Okay." His cell rang, and he jumped a mile. He tensed up when he saw that it was Gibbs calling. Shaking, he answered it. "H-hello?"

_"McGee! Where in the hell are you!" _

"I'm on my way now, B-Boss… there was a power surge and my alarm clock reset overnight and—"

_"Stop stammering, McGee! We have a body at Rock Creek Park. You'd better be there in 10 minutes or—"_

"Yes, Boss," Tim said quickly and hung up. He looked at Abby. "I have to go to a crime scene. What is Gibbs gonna say when I show up with you there?"

"Let me worry about Gibbs. Come on, before he really _does _kill you." Abby took him by the coat and led him out of the apartment.

**NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS**

Tim had never driven that fast in his life. He made it to Rock Creek Park with two minutes to spare. Gibbs and the rest of the team were already there. He'd barely made it halfway across the park before Gibbs crossed his path and head slapped him.

"Get to work, McGee. Bag and tag. Don't be late again."

"Yes, Boss." Tim set his bag down and started to work on bagging evidence. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Abby talking with Gibbs. He hoped she'd come up with a good explanation for her presence. He focused on the evidence he was gathering, and tried to forget the previous night. He and Abby had gone to see the new _Batman _movie. They'd gone back to his place and ordered a pizza afterward and opened some wine, and made jokes about how bad the movie was. Before he knew it, they were in his bed. It was like old times. Last night felt normal for him, and he wished he could do it with her again, but he knew it wasn't going to happen.

"McGee!" Gibbs' shouting brought him out of his trance. "You done with that bag and tag yet?"

"Almost, Boss."

"Get a move on!"

"Yes, Boss."

Tim finished his work and loaded everything into the back of the NCIS van. Gibbs glared at him as he made his way back to his car. _Maybe he knows… nah, he can't know, can he?_

Abby was leaning against the car, waiting for him. He got into the car without a word, and she followed suit.

"What did you say to Gibbs?" he asked nervously.

"I told him my car broke down and you stopped to pick me up. He believed me."

"Abby, your apartment is across town. There would be no way of me picking you up on the way to this crime scene. It's in the opposite direction from your apartment!"

"Will you relax? It'll be fine. If you keep acting like that, he's going to find out for sure." She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "I want you alive for tonight," she said seductively.

"Tonight?"

"Why not?"

"Rule 12," Tim stated simply, turning into the Navy Yard.

"Since when has Rule 12 applied to you and me?"

"Since I was promoted to Gibbs' team. It's _his _rule."

"Exactly." She had a mischievous grin on her face.

"What are you thinking, Abby Sciuto?" Tim said, smiling, as he parked his car. She leaned over and kissed him passionately. He was taken off guard, but relaxed into it a few seconds later.

"Let's break Rule 12," he said, a mischievous grin of his own forming. She smiled and got out of the car. He followed suit and locked up his car.

"Get that lipstick off your face before you get to the squad room," she said, handing him a tissue from her purse. Tim wiped at his face until he was sure the lipstick was gone. He and Abby got into the elevator together. It took a lot of restraint to not kiss her there in the elevator. It dinged at her lab and she got out, winking at him as the doors closed. His heart fluttered with excitement as the elevator continued to the squad room. Breaking Rule 12 was going to be fun.

**TBC… suggestions are helpful (non- sexually explicit, please. It will be implied) for chapter 2. Please review and let me know where I can improve.**


	2. Chapter 2

_~Two Weeks Later~_

"McGee!" Gibbs shouted, entering the bullpen with his hands full of files. Tim jumped up to help him. Rather than accept help gracefully, Gibbs shoved all of the files at Tim. "Take these down to Abby's lab, along with this," he said, holding up a flash drive. "Call me when you and Abby break into it."

Tim tried to hide the big grin on his face as he took the evidence bag with the thumb drive.

"On it, Boss!" Tim hurried to the elevator. Gibbs watched him skeptically. He seemed more excited than usual to take files to Abby's lab. A thought occurred to him, but he pushed it out of his mind. Tim would never break one of his rules… let alone that one…

**~NCISNCISNCIS~**

Tim bounded into the lab and dropped the files down on an empty spot on Abby's lab table, dropping the thumb drive next to them. Abby saw him coming, and pulled off her latex gloves, throwing them into the wastebasket below her lab table. Before she could take a step Tim had his arms around her and laid a lip-crushing kiss on her that made her knees nearly give out on her.

"I missed you," he said finally.

"Has it been that long since you've been down here?" Abby asked, still a little thrown by Tim's spontaneity. She hadn't expected him to be that impetuous at work, but she liked it.

"It's been too long for a lot of things," he said, leaning in for a smooch. Major Mass Spec beeped behind Abby, and Tim quickly let go of her and turned around, expecting to see Gibbs standing there. He always had a talent for walking into the lab as that machine beeped with a result. Thankfully, he wasn't there.

He remembered the files, and picked up the drive. "Oh, Gibbs wants us to decrypt this thumb drive," he said, giving it to Abby. Donning a fresh pair of gloves, she took it from the evidence bag and put it into the computer, and set to work. Tim grabbed a stool and started going through the paper files. He stole glances at Abby every chance he could. Ever since that night after the movie, he'd felt a new kind of passion for Abby. He had to admit, it had been fun sneaking around at work. At first he was afraid Gibbs would find out and head slap him to an inch of his life, but he didn't care anymore. He was with Abby again, and he didn't care who knew.

"Timmy, look at this!" Abby exclaimed, pointing at the screen. She'd decrypted the files in record time. It revealed a schedule for almost every navy ship on the water. "You'd better call Gibbs down here," she said. Tim got on the phone right away.

"Boss, we've found something. You'd better get down here. This is big. Right." Tim hung up and turned back to Abby and the screen. It was going to be a long day.

**~NCISNCISNCIS~**

Gibbs had indeed kept everyone late that night. The information Tim and Abby had found was crucial to the investigation, and had paved the way to finding a suspect. Around midnight Gibbs made everyone leave. They'd be of no use falling asleep at their desks. Tim slowly packed up his desk, and as soon as everyone had boarded the elevator, he took the stairs down to Abby's lab. He'd purposely left his phone down there, to have an excuse to go down there before he left. He found Abby putting on her coat as he entered the lab. She turned and smiled when she saw him come in.

"Hey! I thought you'd left already," she said.

"I forgot my cell down here," he said with a smile, crossing to the lab table to pick up his phone.

"Sure you did, Timmy." Abby turned Major Mass Spec off for the evening and started to cross the room to get her lunch from the cooler, when she was met halfway by Tim. He pulled her into a kiss that rivaled the one from that morning. In that instant she forgot about leaving. Not breaking the kiss, she backed Tim into her office and shut the door behind them.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

When he found himself alone on the floor in Abby's lab the next morning, Tim went into panic mode. _What had he done last night? Well, yeah, but in Abby's lab? In her _office? _What was I thinking? _He hurriedly put his clothes on and made his appearance as neat as humanly possible.

"Abby!" he all but shouted, arousing her. She sat up on the floor. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "If Gibbs comes down here and finds us—" Tim stopped talking when Abby's eyes went wide. She only did that for one reason, and that reason made him afraid to turn around at that moment. He slowly did, and faced Gibbs, standing in the doorway to Abby's office.

"You want to finish that sentence, McGee?" Gibbs asked, looking annoyed. _He knows, _Tim thought.

"We were working late and w-we were tired and Abby had the futon—"

Gibbs silenced him with a headslap.

"Just get upstairs, McGee," he said, annoyed.

"Yes, Boss." Tim hurried past Gibbs and bolted out of the Lab. Gibbs looked quizzically at Abby.

"What?"

"You know," he said, and turned and left. Abby rolled her eyes and opened up a file cabinet to get out some fresh clothes.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Tim was changed and at his desk by the time Gibbs came back from Abby's lab. He didn't want to piss off Gibbs more than he already felt he had. He winced when the elevator dinged, and tried to avert his eyes from Gibbs as he came into the bullpen.

"You have anything for me, McGee?" Gibbs asked, stopping in front of his Probie's desk.

"Still working on the phone records and credit card statements, Boss," Tim said, afraid to take his eyes from the computer screen. He could feel Gibbs lean over his desk, looming over him. "You're telling me you pulled an all-nighter, and you don't have _anything _for me?"

"Y-yes, sir," Tim stammered, ceasing his typing. Gibbs walked around the desk and turned Tim to face him. He got as close to Tim's face as he possibly could.

"Your ass is glued to that chair, McGee. You don't get up until you've got something for me. I don't care how long it takes. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yes, Boss," Tim stammered.

"Get to work." Gibbs stalked away, back to his desk. Tim whipped his chair around and got straight to work. His lie about his nocturnal activities had gotten him in enough trouble. He couldn't imagine what Gibbs would say if he knew the _real _reason he'd slept in Abby's lab. He was _definitely _enjoying his new relationship with Abby, but it wasn't worth getting caught by Gibbs, especially in the middle of a high-profile case. They were on the trail of a terrorist, and Tim's discovery on the flash drive last evening had given them a leg up. He was supposed to be looking for other anomalies in the latest victim's records to attach them to a suspicious person. He typed furiously, hacking into whatever he could to get the information Gibbs sought.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Gibbs returned to the bullpen two hours later. Tim was still at his desk, where he'd left him. He was typing so fast, Gibbs thought his fingers would catch fire from the friction on the keys. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was really going on down in that lab between McGee and Abby. On a normal day, he'd rip McGee a new one for breaking Rule 12, but he decided when he found out that he'd have a little fun with it before he busted them. Trying to hide the small smile on his face as he entered the bullpen, he stalked over to McGee's desk.

"McGee!" he shouted. Tim almost jumped out of his chair. He'd _really _been focused. "What have you got for me?"

"N-nothing in his credit card statements that shows anything hinky, Boss. Still trying to get through his phone records. He's called a lot of toll-free numbers—"

"Check them all, McGee. I want to know every place Lt. DiRaimo called in the past three weeks, and I want a detailed report." He turned to DiNozzo, who was reclining at his desk, playing a cell phone game.

"DiNozzo! Get off the phone and help him!" With that, he skulked out of the squad room to get himself another coffee, smiling to himself. _This is going to be fun. _


	3. Chapter 3

_~Two Days Later~_

__Tim had managed to avoid Gibbs for the past couple of days. They'd closed the big case they were working on, to everyone's relief. Its closure did not ease Gibbs' mood, however, and everyone was eager to get their reports on his desk and get the hell out of the office. Tim was becoming frustrated with his report after a little while. After a while, all of his focus was on his computer. He didn't notice when everyone else had left, and it was just himself and Gibbs left in the squad room.

"McGee," Gibbs said loudly. Tim jumped a bit and looked up. Gibbs watched the color drain from his face when he realized he was the only one left in the squad room. He couldn't help but smile. He knew Tim was trying to avoid this moment for the past few days.

"Report's almost finished, Boss."

"That's not what I was going to ask you, McGee."

Tim stopped typing and practically froze. _Oh, crap. He really does know!_

"You've been tense the past couple of days, McGee. Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine, Boss. Just a little tired."

Gibbs got up and went over to his desk. He could tell Tim was nervous. He suppressed the smile that would certainly ruin everything.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"Y-yeah Boss," Tim said, his nervous stutter back once again. "I'm fine." Tim hit print and got up from his desk. "My report's finished," he said, passing Gibbs and grabbing his report from the printer. "Here you go." He handed it to Gibbs.

"Thanks, McGee. Get some sleep. That's an order."

Tim nodded and grabbed his stuff, practically bolting for the elevator. Gibbs took the report back to his desk. As he looked down at it, he realized it was only half finished. He had to laugh to himself. He'd just wanted to make the kid a bit nervous, but it seemed that he'd done too good a job of it. He'd let McGee sleep it off and he'd have him complete his report in the morning.

_**NCISNCISNCISNCIS**_

"That haunted hayride was a fun idea, Timmy!" Abby said excitedly as they walked back to Tim's car, hand in hand.

"I thought you'd like it," he said, grinning. In fact, he'd heard her talking about going to one just the other day in the lab, until Gibbs silenced her with a glare. He thought he'd surprise her by finding a good one and getting tickets ahead of time, to avoid the long line. The smile on her face made him glad he did. As they neared the car, Abby's smile faded into a shocked expression as she fell forward. Tim caught her just before she reached the muddy grass, and helped her back to her feet.

"I told you not to wear those platform shoes, Abby. You could have broken your neck—" he was silenced by two of her fingers pressing against his lips. She leaned in and kissed him.

"Thanks for saving me from the mud." She smiled, and he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately.

"You're welcome." As he leaned in for another kiss, his cell rang in his pocket. Sighing, he took it out and checked the ID. It was Gibbs. "McGee."

_"We've got a body, McGee. Some haunted hayride thing in Silver Spring. How fast can you get there?" _

Tim's face went ashen, and he exchanged a glance with Abby.

"I—I'm already here, Boss."

_"What do you mean, McGee?" _

"I uh, came here with a friend, Boss."

_"All right. We'll be there soon. Don't touch anything until I get there." _

"Yes, Boss." Tim hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. "There's a dead body here. Gibbs is on his way."

"Something happened _here? _Why didn't we see it?"

"I don't know, but we'd better go back down there and look around, or Ducky might be bringing me back in a body bag after Gibbs kills me for not knowing there was a murder here."

Abby socked him in the arm.

"Do NOT talk like that!"

"Let's go," Tim said, rubbing his arm. They walked back down to the hayride entrance. Tim flashed his badge, and the kid at the booth let them back inside the grounds. They didn't have to look far to find the commotion. The body of a young man lay next to the popcorn stand, with a knife sticking out of his chest. At a picnic table not far away, a teenage kid sat shaking, hands covered in blood. Tim pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long night.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

When he arrived with Tony and Ziva, Gibbs found Tim taking pictures of the crime scene, and Abby sitting on a picnic bench with a teenage kid, talking to him. He nodded to Tony, who made a beeline for Abby. Gibbs went to join Tim.

"Did you touch anything?" Gibbs asked immediately.

"Of course not, you told me not to," Tim said. Ducky arrived moments later, and immediately took a liver temp.

"Time of death is approximately an hour and a half ago, Jethro," Ducky reported as he returned to a standing position by the body. Gibbs turned to Tim.

"Did you see this happen, Tim?"

"No, I didn't."

"You were here, all night, and you managed to _miss _a guy getting stabbed in plain sight?"

"We must have been on the hayride at that time. It goes out into that cornfield, and it's a twenty minute ride."

"You didn't notice the body or any commotion when you were leaving?"

Tim lowered his eyes. Gibbs head slapped him.

"I asked you a question, McGee!"

"N-No, Boss. I didn't."

Nothing was said for a few moments. Tony and Ziva had stopped what they were doing to observe. Ducky and Palmer were the only ones to remain focused on their work. Gibbs got close to McGee's face, and spoke in a low, but menacing voice.

"Go back to NCIS, Tim, and take Abby with you. Do not go anywhere but your desk. If I catch you anywhere near Abby's lab, you'll be suspended without pay until further notice. Do I make myself clear, McGee?"

"Clear, Boss." He handed Gibbs his camera, and turned to go and fetch Abby, who had been directed to an empty picnic table by Tony. He took her by the arm and they left.


	4. Chapter 4

Tim drove to NCIS without a word. When they got there, they boarded the elevator together. On the way down to the lab, Abby pulled the emergency stop.

"We need to talk, Tim."

"Yes, we do, but not now."

"Yes, right now! Tim, we need to stop what we're doing. I don't want you to lose your job over this."

"You're not worried about _your _job? Oh wait, that's right, you're Gibbs' favorite! He'd _never _fire you!"

Abby slapped Tim across the face. They stood there in silence, staring at each other. It was Tim who finally broke the silence.

"I—I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Abby turned off the emergency stop, and the elevator resumed its course to her Lab.

"No, Tim, you shouldn't have. But you did."

The elevator dinged, and Abby got off without a word and went into her Lab. Tim watched her go, and finally pressed the button for the squad room when her lab doors closed.

The squad room was empty when he arrived. He sat down at his desk, as instructed. There was a folder waiting for him on his desk. He picked it up and opened it. Inside was the report he'd turned in the night before, along with a note from Gibbs.

_You didn't finish your report, McGee. I want it on my desk by 1200 hours._

_ Gibbs_

Tim could have slapped himself for not finishing that report. He pulled up the file he'd saved and set to finishing it before Gibbs returned. Maybe he'd be less pissed if he did something right for a change.

_**NCISNCISNCIS**_

__"McGee!"

Tim winced at the sound of Gibbs' voice. He'd just put the finishing touches on his report and hit _print. _He looked up to find Gibbs looming over his desk. Gibbs pointed at the elevator. Tim nodded in understanding, got up and headed for the elevator. Gibbs was on his heels. The doors opened, and a nervous Palmer stepped out. Tim went in, and Gibbs shook his head and followed him. As soon as the doors closed, Gibbs hit the emergency stop, and glared at Tim.

"How long have you known?" Tim asked quietly.

"Long enough, McGee." Tim dropped his head, ashamed. "I was almost ready to let you break Rule 12, McGee. _Almost. _Until you pulled that crap at the crime scene. You're a Federal investigator, McGee. You have to be observant at all times. This thing with you and Abby is going to stop."

"You won't have to worry about that anymore, Boss. It's over." Tim reached for the emergency stop, but Gibbs grabbed his wrist.

"What do you mean, over, Tim?"

"When we got back… we were in the elevator. We were arguing about you finding out. I said something, not nice, and she slapped me. She hasn't spoken to me since."

Gibbs was silent for a moment. Tim looked down at the floor again, not wanting to look his Boss in the face.

"Do you understand why Rule Number 12 is there, Tim?"

Tim nodded.

"Yeah. It cost me my friendship with Abby to realize why you made the rule."

_Thwack!_

"Whatever you said to Abby couldn't have been bad enough to end your friendship, McGee. She'll come around." Gibbs flipped the emergency stop off, and the elevator moved toward the squad room again.

"I'm sorry about all this, Boss."

"Don't apologize, McGee.

"Yes, Boss."

"Finish your report and go home. Report back at 0600 hours, and not a minute later. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, we're clear."

The elevator opened up at the squad room, and Gibbs stepped out first. Tim followed dejectedly. He picked up his report from the printer and handed it to Gibbs, complete this time. Gibbs nodded, and Tim gathered his things and left.

"How come Probie gets to go home?" Tony whined as the elevator doors closed. Gibbs glared at him, and Tony resumed his work.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Tim dragged himself out of bed at 0500 the next morning. He spent a restless night tossing and turning. He couldn't stop thinking about Abby. He'd known breaking rule 12 had been a bad idea to begin with, but he'd never meant to make her feel bad about doing it. He had to make it up to her.

He barely made it to NCIS before six that morning. The security guard, Eddie, checked his ID and greeted him. He smiled and continued to the elevator. It dinged before he got a chance to press the button, and Abby stood alone in the elevator. Tim quietly stepped in and pressed the floor he needed.

The ride up to the squad room was awkward. Abby didn't speak to him. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was, but he knew she wouldn't listen. Finally, the elevator arrived at the squad room. Abby pushed past him and made a beeline for Gibbs' desk. Tim went to his desk and started booting up his computer. Abby was pulling up information on the plasma for Gibbs. Tony and Ziva were looking on with interest. Tim ignored them; he was not informed on the case they'd started, and knowing Gibbs, he'd probably be on his own to figure it out.

"McGee," Gibbs said, breaking Tim from his trance. Tim looked up from his computer and made eye contact with Gibbs. "I need you to help Abby get into Lance Corporal Downey's cell phone. We need to know who he was calling before he got stabbed last night."

Tim paled. _Gibbs is sending me to Abby's lab? Alone? She's going to skin me alive. _

"Did I stutter, McGee?" Gibbs asked, annoyed, when Tim didn't respond to him.

"No, Boss." He stood up and headed for the elevator. Abby had beaten him there, and the doors were already closing. He ran for it, but she did not hold the door for him.

"Looks like you're taking the stairs, McRomeo," Tony said jokingly. Tim glared at him and headed toward the stairs. Tony watched him throw open the door and head down the stairs. "He's gonna be so screwed."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Notes: Thanks to all who are sticking with me through this story. I had a good time adding all of the drama. Hopefully Tim can clean up the mess he's made here. **_

_****_ Tim made a pit stop on the way to Abby's lab to by her a caf pow, in hopes that it would help a little. The teenage girl behind the lunch counter smiled at him as he paid for it and headed back to the stairs. He could have called the elevator, but he felt he deserved to take the stairs after the mess he'd made of things.

He found Abby at the computer, running fingerprints. She glanced up when her doors opened, and looked back at her screen just as quickly when she realized who it was. Taking a deep breath, Tim crossed the room and set down the caf pow on the table next to her. She ignored it and kept watching the fingerprints.

"Abby…"

"Here's the phone, Tim. See what you can find." She held it out to him, and he took it silently and grabbed a chair. He'd work on the phone first, and try to talk to her a bit later.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

"I do not understand, Gibbs," Ziva said as the stairwell door closed behind Tim. "You told him last night that if he attempted to go to Abby's lab that you would suspend him, yes?"

"Solving the case is more important," Gibbs answered. "He knows what'll happen if I catch him doing anything other than working on that cell phone."

Ziva seemed to accept that answer, and turned back to her computer. Gibbs sat down at his desk and started to go through his paperwork. He remembered Tim's confession in the elevator, and he knew he wouldn't have to worry about those two being alone downstairs.

_Maybe I'd better go check, just in case… _he thought, getting up and heading toward the back elevator. _Just in case…_

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Tim got into the phone in about two minutes. He opened up the recent calls, and found a large amount of calls to the same number. He turned to find the USB to plug the phone into the computer, and was dismayed to find it hanging from Abby's computer.

"Can I have the USB?" he asked flatly. _Nice job being nice, _he thought to himself. She took it out of the computer and practically threw it at him. He caught it, just barely, and plugged it into the PC as the lab doors opened, and Gibbs strode in.

"Do you two have anything for me?" He asked. Tim turned around to tell Gibbs about the phone records, but Abby beat him to it.

"Still nothing on the fingerprints, Gibbs. I've been running them through every database I could find." Abby walked across the room, back to the computer, completely aware that Tim was glaring at her. "I did the GSR on the bullet Ducky found. It came from a Colt Revolver, but that's all I can tell you. I'm not sure yet whose gun it might be."

Gibbs nodded and turned to Tim, who was still glaring.

"McGee, what've you got on that cell phone?"

Tim blew up the call log on the computer screen so Gibbs could see it, and highlighted the number he'd seen come up several times the day before the murder.

"The same number called the victim's cell phone hours before the time of death, Boss."

"Whose number is it?"

Tim did some typing.

"Petty Officer Gregory Crandall, stationed on the same ship as our victim."

"Good job, Tim. Keep digging through that phone, and find me everything you can that connects Crandall to our victim."

"On it, Boss."

Gibbs shot a knowing look at Tim, and turned on his heel and left the Lab. As soon as the doors closed, Tim angrily turned to Abby.

"That was rude, Abby."

"Get over it, Tim. I got to him first."

Close to enraged, Tim got out of his chair and stormed to where Abby was sitting.

"_Get over it? _I came down here for your forgiveness. I was an ass in the elevator, and I'm sorry. Do _not _treat me like you hate my guts!"

"You still don't get why I'm angry, do you?" she said, her voice a little shaky. "All you've done the entire time we were sleeping together was worry about Gibbs finding out! That's not the kind of relationship I want to have!"

"I was looking out for both of us, Abby!"

"You were looking out for _your _ass! You don't seem to care what would happen to _me_ if Gibbs found out!"

"Gibbs would transfer me to Albania before he'd even _think _about firing you!"

"You're not getting it, Tim," Abby said, attempting to calm herself a bit. "I think you should leave." She said, stone-faced.

"Abby—"

"Get out!" She picked up the Caf Pow he'd brought and threw it at him. The lid popped off of the cup in mid-air, showering Tim in sticky orange soda. He took a few steps back, gaping at Abby. Her chest was heaving, and tears had started to run down her face. Without another word, Tim saved what he was working on, e-mailed it to himself and left the Lab.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Gibbs looked up as the elevator dinged, and almost laughed at the sight before him. Tim emerged, covered in what was most likely Abby's Caf Pow. He moved to stand, but DiNozzo beat him to it.

"What the hell happened to you, Probie?" Tony asked, meeting Tim in the middle of the squad room.

"I don't want to talk about it, Tony." Tim pushed by him and went to his desk.

"I take it you and Abby—"

"I said shut it, Tony!" Tim shouted angrily.

"Get back to work, DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted across the squad room as he got up to interject. Tony went back to his desk without a word. Gibbs approached Tim's desk as he pulled up a large file from his e-mail.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Tim responded coldly.

"Go down to the locker room and take a shower."

"I need to finish what I started on this—"

"I'd rather you not cover the squad room in Caf Pow, McGee. Go."

Tim nodded and got up from his desk. He took his bag and went off to the locker room. He was alone when he arrived there, thankfully. He removed his stained clothing and stepped into the shower. The water was warm, for a wonder. As he scrubbed the sticky Caf Pow from his face and hair, Abby's words rang in his head.

_ "You don't care what happens to me when Gibbs finds out!"  
"You only care about _your _ass!" _

Noticing he'd started to tremble, Tim turned off the shower and shakily wrapped a towel around himself. He hesitated before pulling back the curtain, and sank back against the wall. What had he done? _I've upset the balance of the entire team, because I wanted to sleep with Abby. What the hell is wrong with me? _

Tim knew what he had to do. He determinedly opened the curtain and dressed. He had to talk to Gibbs.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Gibbs was reading through one of DiNozzo's reports when the elevator doors opened. Tim stepped out, looking much better than he did twenty minutes ago. He met the junior agent's glare as Tim approached his desk, and his gut told him something bad was about to happen. Tim stopped in fron of his Boss' desk and took his badge and gun from his gym back. He set them on Gibbs' desk, right in front of him.

"I can't work here anymore. I quit." He stated simply. With that, he went over to his desk and shoved his personal belongings into his gym bag. Gibbs jumped up from his desk and stormed over to Tim, clutching the badge in his hand. He slammed it down onto Tim's desk, causing Tim to nearly drop his gym bag.

"Quitting isn't an option, McGee. Sit your ass down and find Crandall."

"I can't," Tim stated, standing his ground. "Not after—" Tim stopped talking and picked up his bag. Gibbs ripped it from his hand and threw it on the floor.

"You're not quitting. I won't let you. Sit down."

Tim stood his ground, returning Gibbs' glare defiantly. The two stood there, having an impromptu staring contest. Gibbs was the one to finally end it. He leaned toward Tim. "My office. _Now._" Tim nodded and stalked across the room to the back elevator, Gibbs at his heels.

Tony and Ziva shared a look of shock.

"His duck is cooked," Ziva said.

"It's goose, Ziva, his _goose _is cooked. And yeah, Probie's goose is definitely cooked."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Notes: Thanks so much for reading! This will be the last chapter of "Rule 12." I hope everyone has enjoyed, and visit me again soon! I'm still working on "Unreachable," and I'll be working on a few oneshots in the near future. Thanks again for your continued support!**_

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Gibbs flipped the emergency switch, and turned on Tim.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing, McGee!"

"I can't work here anymore, Boss."

_Thwack!_

"You're not going to quit your job because you had a fight with Abby. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, McGee."

Tim leaned against the wall, dropping his eyes.

"I screwed everything up. You think I'm incompetent, and Abby hates me. I'm better off quitting and going to work at some computer company or something…where I can't screw everything up."

"How many years have you worked for me, McGee?" Gibbs asked. Tim remained silent. Gibbs head slapped him. Tim's head snapped up and he locked eyes with Gibbs. "I asked you a question. How long have you worked for me?"

"Six years."

"How many mistakes have you made in those six years?"

"I, um, a lot?"

"Have you been fired yet?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Exactly. We all make mistakes, McGee. We get over them, and we move on."

"I did more than just piss you off this time, Boss. I ruined a friendship and I compromised a case."

"You did not compromise the case by not seeing anything, McGee. You can relax."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"About the case? Or about Abby?"

Tim was silent. He knew the answer to that question, and he was sure Gibbs could see right through him.

"All right, listen. Go back up to the squad room and help Tony track our suspect. I'm going to see if Ducky has anything new from his autopsy."

Tim knew Gibbs had an ulterior motive, but he didn't question it.

"Yes, Boss."

Gibbs unlocked the elevator, and they rode up to the squad room. Tim got off, and Gibbs hung back in the elevator as a couple of other agents boarded with him.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Gibbs entered Abby's lab, Caf Pow in hand. He never thought he'd be the one to play matchmaker in the office, but there was a first time for everything, he guessed. He couldn't have this kind of drama disrupting the workplace. Abby was sitting in front of Major Mass Spec, staring as he ran a fingerprint scan. Her music was off, which was never a good sign.

"Anything new for me, Abbs?" he asked as he set down the Caf Pow next to her.

"I'm still running the same fingerprints from the body. Major Mass Spec is taking much too long today." She picked up the Caf Pow and took a big slurp. Gibbs noticed a bit of mascara had run down her cheek.

"Are you all right, Abby?" He asked gently.

"It was my idea," she said, sniffing. "Tim didn't want to do it. I'm s-sorry if we caused any trouble!" She threw herself into Gibbs' arms, crying.

"It's all right, Abbs. I'm not mad."

"You're mad at Tim!"

"Not as mad as you."

"He doesn't get why I'm upset, Gibbs."

Gibbs kissed her gently on the forehead.

"He might understand more than you realize." He turned to leave, and suddenly stopped. "Try not to douse him in Caf Pow anymore, will you?"

Abby giggled.

"As long as he doesn't make me upset again."

"Abbs,"

"All right, all right, I promise not to throw liquid at Tim anymore."

"Good." Gibbs smiled as he turned and left.

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Tim was having no luck tracking down their suspect. He'd been running searches and rewriting things all afternoon, with no success. He was adamant about making Gibbs less upset at him than was possible. He'd only hoped his antics hadn't caught the Director's attention. He'd rather be head slapped by Gibbs than have to sit in Director Vance's office and explain why his love life has caused so much trouble.

As he waited for his latest search to complete itself, an instant message popped up on his screen.

_AbbySciuto – Come down here. _

_TimMcGee – Are you going to throw your Caf Pow at me again?_

_AbbySciuto – No. Just come down here. _

_TimMcGee – What'll I tell Gibbs? He's been glaring at me all afternoon._

_AbbySciuto – Tell him I need your help with something. Now get your butt down here!_

_TimMcGee – All right, I'm on my way._

Tim got up from his desk and started toward the elevator. He'd hoped Gibbs wouldn't notice.

"Where are you going, McGee?"

Gibbs noticed.

"Abby needs my help. The Mass Spectrometer is acting up."

"Make it quick, then."

"Yes, Boss."

As Tim waited for the elevator to come up to the squad room, he felt someone fall into step behind him. He turned around, and was surprised to see Gibbs.

"Boss… what are you—"

"Need to see Ducky, McGee. That okay with you?"

"I uh, yeah, sorry."

**NCISNCISNCIS**

Gibbs followed him out of the elevator when it opened at the lab level.

"What are you doing, Boss?" Tim asked.

"Making sure you actually go in there."

"Why wouldn't I?"

Gibbs glared at Tim, and he flushed and kept walking. Tim hesitated at the lab doors. He'd never been so nervous to enter that lab before. Gibbs head slapped him from behind.

"Get in there, McGee."

Tim took a breath and stepped toward the doors. They swooshed open. He winced a bit. Gibbs gave him a shove. Tim turned around to look at Gibbs, but the doors closed in between them, and Gibbs walked away.

_Great, he just _had _to leave, didn't he? I can't expect him to play matchmaker for me and Abby, though. He's got more important things to do._

He expected to find Abby by Major Mass Spec, but she wasn't there. He looked around the lab for her, and spotted her through the window of her office. She was sitting dejectedly at her desk. He could see makeup streaking her face.

_Oh no, no no no, I made her cry. I'm an idiot! _

He walked over to her office, and opened the door slowly. She was slumped in her chair, clutching Bert the Hippo in her arms.

"Abby?"

She didn't move as he stepped in and shut the door behind him.

"I brought you a Caf Pow." He set it on the desk.

"You're a jerk."

"I know, and I'm sorry, Abbs." He squatted to be at eye level with her. "I was obsessed with Gibbs not catching us, and I didn't see how it was making you feel." She looked away from him, and his heart sank. "Abby, I'm so, _so _sorry. Please don't cry." He dropped to his knees and took her hands in his. "Let me make this up to you."

Abby sniffed and looked at Tim, kneeling in front of her. Unconsciously she gave Bert a squeeze. The noise he made caused both of them to giggle. Tim took a chance and went in for a smooch. He was pleasantly surprised when she pulled him back in and kissed him passionately.

"You can make it up to me tonight," she said seductively. "At my place."

"Wait – wouldn't you rather—"

"What's wrong with my coffin?" she said.

"Your place is great," he said, leaning in for another smooch. She stopped him.

"Don't make me throw my Caf Pow at you again, Tim McGee."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He smiled, leaning in to try again for a smooch. This time, she pulled him in willingly, and they shared a passionate kiss. Major Mass Spec went off in the lab, and Abby broke the kiss.

"What are you doing?"

"Gibbs usually comes in when Major Mass Spec beeps."

"Who cares?" Tim answered. He smiled and kissed her again, pulling her onto the floor with him.

"_My heart's never smiled so hard, baby, lovin' you is fun…" – Easton Corbin, "Lovin' You is Fun."_

**FINIS!**


End file.
